On 29 September 2026, COFACE members came together online to discuss how civil society organisations can help families better understand what is happening in the European Parliament, and how can the European Parliament better hear and respond to the realities of families across Europe. The webinar brought together communication professionals from across Europe namely from the Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Spain with speakers from the European Parliament to explore practical ways of making European politics more accessible, relevant and connected to people’s everyday lives.
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Connecting the dots between European Parliament, families and communication
One of the key roles of the COFACE Families Europe network is to build bridges between European and national action. Policy experts work to bring European developments to national organisations, while communication professionals play an equally important role: translating complex policy discussions into accessible messages, stories, visuals and campaigns that can reach families.
The European Parliament can sometimes appear distant or difficult to understand. Yet it is directly elected by Europe’s citizens and plays an important role in shaping policies and decisions that affect families. Its work includes reports, hearings, debates and exchanges with national parliaments and citizens.
For civil society communicators, understanding how the Parliament works is therefore not simply about following institutional procedures. It is about identifying the moments, tools and channels through which European developments can be connected to the concerns of families.
“Communication can be one of the bridges between EU decision-making and citizens’ everyday experiences.”
Understanding the European Parliament’s communication tools
The first session, led by Giulia Busolin, Public Relations Assistant for Outreach to Civil Society in the European Parliament’s Multipliers Outreach Unit, DG COMM, provided an overview of the Parliament’s communication activities and resources. Participants explored existing materials, platforms and educational content that civil society organisations can use when explaining the role and work of the European Parliament. The session also highlighted the scale of the Parliament’s communication work, with around 400 people working in DG COMM across Brussels and offices around Europe. While election-related communication is a major part of its public outreach, the Parliament also provides a range of resources that can help organisations communicate European issues to wider audiences. For communication professionals in civil society, these resources can offer useful starting points for explaining European developments without having to recreate every communication tool from scratch.
European Parliament Liaison Offices: connecting EU and national communication
The second session focused on one of the most practical opportunities for civil society organisations: working with European Parliament Liaison Offices in the Member States. Nadina Crisan, from the Local Multipliers Support Unit for Liaison Offices, was joined by Julia Borque Sierra, from the European Parliament Liaison Office in Madrid, and Jonas Roleder, from the Liaison Office in Berlin.
The discussion showed how Liaison Offices can provide important channels for national-level outreach and engagement. Examples shared during the session included cooperation with civil society organisations, public events and opportunities to bring European discussions closer to citizens on a wide range of topics such as care, work-life balance, child rights, intergenerational solidarity and more. Participants also shared experiences from their own countries, including cooperation with the European Parliament office in Greece and an annual event for carers.
The discussion pointed towards a wider network of opportunities, including Europe Direct centres, national outreach activities (such as the upcoming event in Madrid on the rights of older persons) and initiatives such as EU-on-Tour in Germany. For organisations looking to engage at national level, one practical starting point is to identify the European Parliament Liaison Office and EUROPE DIRECT centre in their country and explore opportunities for cooperation.
From policy language to everyday family realities
The third session brought two Members of the European Parliament into the conversation: Liesbet Sommen, MEP from Belgium, and Idoia Mendia, MEP from Spain. A central message from the discussion was that maintaining a strong connection with citizens is an essential part of democracy. For MEPs, communication is not only about explaining what happens in Parliament. It is also about listening to citizens and civil society organisations and bringing their experiences into political discussions.
Liesbet Sommen drew on her experience both as a former civil society spokesperson and as a policymaker to emphasise the value of combining these perspectives. Civil society organisations are often close to families and can identify emerging challenges long before they become part of the political debate. They can bring those experiences to policymakers, help identify gaps in existing policies and translate people’s concerns into concrete political questions. She highlighted blended families as a concrete example, the need to listen to them, their realities, and relay this to the European Parliament debates. Civil society organisations can help bring these experiences into the European policy debate.
Idoia Mendia highlighted the importance of maintaining direct connections with citizens and civil society, particularly around issues such as economic insecurity, new technologies, care, housing and balancing work and family life. Families are diverse, and communication has an important role to play in ensuring that this diversity is visible. Mendia also shared examples of engagement with civil society organisations in Spain and at European level, including organisations working on the rights of persons with disabilities, ageing and older people’s rights, as well as trade unions. Different communication channels can serve different audiences. Social media such as Instagram can help reach broader audiences, while LinkedIn can support professional and policy-focused communication. Newspapers, radio and interviews remain important too. The discussion also addressed intergenerational solidarity and the rights of older people. Families are one of the places where intergenerational relationships are most visible, making them an important space for communicating about ageing, care and solidarity. Communication can also help challenge stereotypes – for example, assumptions that all older people are economically secure, when many experience insecurity and age discrimination.
Conclusions and next steps
Across the three sessions, a common theme emerged: the distance between European institutions and citizens can be reduced when communication, civil society and policymaking are connected. For COFACE Families Europe and its members, this means making the most of the communication resources available through the European Parliament, building relationships with Liaison Offices, engaging with MEPs and, above all, bringing the experiences of families into European debates.
Resources
Germany EU-on-Tour – EU on tour – This is a travelling exhibition which explains the basics, institutions, current issues and opportunities for participation in the European Union.
Spain Civil Society Engagement Seminar: The Rights of Older Persons | Together – 9th October 2026
Spain “DóndeEstánEllas” – #DóndeEstánEllas is an initiative that was born in March 2018 by the European Parliament Office in Spain with the aim of making visible the presence of women experts in the public space, especially as speakers in debates, events and conferences on European affairs.
Check out the European Parliament liaison office in your country
Brussels – Women’s Leadership – Shaping the change and inspiring the next generation of leaders – 3rd November 2026
Brussels – Debating and communicating the MFF and National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPP) – 10th November 2026
LinkedIn Group for the civil society community to stay connected and updated on EU events
